• Applying for Heaven | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jul 02 2008

    We endure application forms for credit cards, employment, life insurance, and driver’s licenses. We fill them out when applying for tax credits, college entrance, and passports. Sometimes they are required when applying for church membership.
    So let’s push the idea of applications to another level. Think about what it might mean to fill out papers for [...]

  • Children and Disciples | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 22 2008

    Is there a difference between being born into the family of God and becoming a disciple (student) of Jesus? Or are these just two different ways of describing what it means to come into the family and kingdom of God? The way we answer this question will determine how we interpret the New Testament, [...]

  • Pendulum Riders | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 21 2008

    One of the characteristics of our human nature is that we spend a lot of time reacting to, and trying to distance ourselves from, the sins of our fathers.
    As we react, it is as though we were jumping up and grabbing a great pendulum as it swings away in the opposite direction.
    In the exhilarating rush [...]

  • People Watching | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 20 2008

    An article in the New York Times says that “People-watching is to New York City what vista-gazing is to the Grand Canyon.” It suggests riding a subway from one end to the other to… “Watch the ethnicities change, and the reading material - from Bibles to library studies textbooks to ethnic newspapers. Are the smilers [...]

  • Jerusalem Assignment | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 07 2008

    Wasn’t able to post something on arrival last night in Jerusalem, but did get a picture of a new section of “the holy city,” at night, out of my hotel window.
    The 10 hour flight from Newark to Tel Aviv was long but uneventful (except that the plane’s video system wasn’t working :-). Even caught a [...]

  • The Voting Booth | Posted by Mart De Haan on Jun 03 2008

    As the last two US Democratic primaries are held today in South Dakota and Montana, I’ve been thinking again about the different ways followers of Christ enter a voting booth.
    During the course of this lengthy election process, with far more to come, it’s been clear that some of us believe we have an obligation [...]

  • How Do We Avoid a Fleamarket Approach to Faith? | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 30 2008

    Jesus said that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move trees and even mountains (Luke 17:5; Mark 11:22-23).
    His implication seems to be that the quantity of our faith is not as important as its quality.
    So how then can we be sure that we are putting our trust in what [...]

  • Does Anyone Have Faith to Move a Mountain? | Posted by Mart De Haan on May 29 2008

    Jesus said that by faith his disciples could move trees and even mountains (Luke 17:5; Mark 11:22-23).
    His words remind us of other things we find in the Bible.
    If we start with Genesis and read through to Revelation, we see some pretty amazing miracles. Moses lifts a stick, and the Red Sea parts. The people of [...]

  • Word Puzzles | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 26 2008

    To love well, we must also learn to hate. Some of what we hate, we must learn to love. Much of what comes easy will be difficult to endure. Some of what comes with work will give us rest.
    Riches are discovered in seeing our real poverty. Safety in a place of risk. More in the [...]

  • The Logic of Intercession | Posted by Mart De Haan on Apr 24 2008

    I don’t like to think about how many times I’ve told someone “I’ll be praying for you,” before only following through in a token way. And when I have prayed repeatedly for those I really care about– with no apparent results– I sometimes wonder why I don’t seem to be able to touch the heart [...]

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